What is the Internet Really For?

So, I guess I haven’t been as active on this blog as I thought I’d be but what better time than the present? It’s 2:56am and I’ve just finished watching the Grimm season 3 finale (so many feels) and, after getting over my shock over the whole Nick/Adalind fiasco (yes, there was another one), I logged onto Facebook and saw that one of my friends has posted another anti-religion status in the form of a joke. I have a sense of humour but sometimes I think that the opinions that people share online are just unnecessary and it got me thinking: what is the internet really for? Is it for learning? Is it for socialising? Or is it to troll without being able to really fight?

More and more often, I see posts from people on different websites stating their opinions and their beliefs in a negative way. Sometimes, this is their views on religion or sexuality or immigration; other times, it’s different things but these negative opinions can be classed as offensive to a large number of people so why do people think it’s okay?

I find this increasingly difficult to comprehend when these people are my friends. I’ve always thought myself to be a good judge of character, if perhaps a little too trusting at times, and so I trust my friends to be good, honest, kind people. So when I say statuses or tweets or photos discriminating other people’s beliefs/opinions/choices/lives, I get upset. I get upset and I begin to question whether I am as good a judge of character as I think I am.

Why do some things have to be said? Why do people need to tell others, via the internet, that they think gay marriage is wrong? Why do people need to complain about immigrants online? Why do people need to call out religious people, saying that they “believe in fairytales”? Why?

Is this really what the internet is for?

In my opinion, these things don’t need to be said. They do not do anybody any good; they cause more upset than they do happiness and, I don’t know about you guys, but I was raised to not say anything if I had nothing nice to say.

Maybe you’re not religious but does that make people who are bad? Sure, sometimes bad things have happened in the name of religion but a teensy tiny minority of people have done such things. The rest find comfort in their God/s, in their saviours and why shouldn’t they? Why shouldn’t I? Why should anybody be told that beliefs are crazy? Are fairytales? Are evil?

Maybe you’re struggling to get a job and you know some immigrants who have a job? So what? Good for them for working to keep themselves and their families! I’m sorry you’re struggling but your time will come. Why shouldn’t we allow people to move to our country? We should be honoured that people want to. I know that I want to move abroad one day. There are several countries I would like to live in at some point but people who post such awful and racist posts make me afraid to do so. I don’t want to be a leper in my new society, somebody for the community to hate because I work. Working is great. I’d be lucky to have a job but I would expect that if I get one, it’s because I’ve earned it not because of special treatment and that is the way the world works. Is it necessary to call out people for earning their living?

Maybe you think that homosexual relationships are wrong but do you have to tell everybody that? You might think it’s okay because you’re saying it to a heterosexual audience but there’s an incredibly large chance that many of that audience know and love somebody gay and you’re causing offence. Love is love. Perhaps you don’t believe that but perhaps you should think about how your words might hurt those that you love before saying them. Is it really necessary? Can you not let people get on with their lives while you get on with yours?

None of this should be happening and I don’t know why it does but, if there’s anything I want anybody to take from this long 3am rant that probably doesn’t make a lot of sense and features many grammatical errors and a whole lot of rambling, it’s that you should think before you type. If your words could hurt somebody, ask yourself if they’re necessary to say and if they’re not, keep schtum. Be kind. It’ll come back to you.